While QuickBooks Online can handle a high volume of users (depending on the version you have), it performs the best when you are using 5 or fewer users. If you require more, your needs have likely grown beyond what QuickBooks Online will offer you long-term, and it may be time to consider upgrading to QuickBooks Enterprise or a QuickBooks replacement. A product demonstration guided by a QuickBooks VAR (value-added reseller) is available.
- In the long term, QuickBooks may move entirely online, but by now, you can probably expect all (or at least most) of Desktop’s key features to be folded into QuickBooks Online.
- For example, nonprofits can use the desktop products to run donor contribution summary reports while manufacturing, wholesale and retail businesses have the ability to forecast product sales.
- You can migrate your business and payroll data to QuickBooks Online and keep a copy of the original file for your records.
- QuickBooks Self-Employed, or QBSE, is the version of QBO marketed toward freelancers and other self-employed business owners.
If you find someone who is a good fit for your business needs, it doesn’t matter if they are in California while you work from New York. You’ll want to create a contract that outlines details, such as deadlines, rates and expectations so that everyone is on the same page. If you find that you have a talent for and enjoy the process, you may consider starting your own bookkeeping business providing this service to others.
Choose QuickBooks Desktop If…
In other words, Mac users can’t scale up their software from one plan to the next as they add software users. Intuit QuickBooks has been pushing its online products, so switching from QuickBooks Online to Desktop isn’t as easy, but it is possible. Go to the Settings gear icon and click “Export Data.” Then, select your reason for leaving. Learn More.” This will guide you through exporting your data and creating a backup company file.
For instance, QuickBooks Desktop allows you to create customized job costing reports tailored to specialized industries, including manufacturers, contractors, and retailers. If you’re a small to medium-sized business switching from another cloud-based accounting app, QuickBooks Online would probably suit you best. It’s more fully featured than most other bookkeeping apps, so you’ll experience an upgrade when switching.
What Is Bookkeeping? Everything You Need To Know
QuickBooks might encourage its users to switch from QuickBooks Desktop to Online, but it hasn’t issued any statements about discontinuing Desktop entirely. But based on the tech industry’s growing emphasis on cloud storage over local storage, it’s hard to imagine that downloadable programs like QuickBooks Desktop will still be relevant a decade down the road. The company has updated its help centers to be more user-friendly, but there’s still no email support. Both options, however, are working to reduce long hold times on the phone by now offering a callback feature.
Bookkeeping and accounting software
CPAs and bookkeepers use QuickBooks Online Accountant software to access or prepare their clients’ accounting. The online version will soon be the only available version, and it’s used by hundreds of thousands of American businesses. To find out what we thought about it, please check out our review of QuickBooks Online 2024.
Software type
Desktop versions of QuickBooks such as QuickBooks Enterprise have tools that have been developed for specific scenarios and industries over the years. QBE may lack the mobility of QBO, but it more than makes up for it with the comprehensive feature set it offers within it’s offering. You may or may not be able to find the missing tools within the QuickBooks app store. Contrary to popular belief, all versions of QuickBooks (not just Enterprise) that are traditionally thought of as desktop options have a subscription-based pricing model. You no longer are able to purchase a version of the software and use it indefinitely.
All feedback, positive or negative, helps us to improve the way we help small businesses. You can switch from QuickBooks Online to Desktop, and many users who are used to traditional accounting and working with QuickBooks tend to do so after giving QBO a try. At the time business accounting blog of this writing, QuickBooks has noted that it has no plans on sunsetting the QuickBooks Desktop software. Ultimately, your specific business’s size, type, and needs are the real deciding factors in determining which of the QuickBooks versions is best for your business.
The other version, which is currently Intuit’s priority, is QuickBooks Online. It’s a cloud-based app with many of the same features as QuickBooks Desktop, as well as some distinct differences. QuickBooks Enterprise is intended to be used on a Windows O/S and requires a native application to run. QuickBooks Online runs in your web-browser and thus is compatible on either a Windows or a Mac. Intuit also offers QuickBooks for Mac for Mac users looking for an on-premise option.
This is useful for businesses with multiple departments or divisions and those that provide various types of services. Meanwhile, QuickBooks Desktop allows you to set up classes, but you can’t track your income and expenses by location. The solutions presented above are the common troubleshooting steps we give to fix general problems when your company file won’t open. In addition, QuickBooks can reopen any windows that were left open when you closed your company file.
